The Referee from Four Years Ago Returns: Why Caution Is Needed Against South Africa

[Anchor]

The referee who will officiate our match against South Africa, which will determine our fate in the Round of 32, is the very same official who oversaw our match against Portugal at the Qatar tournament four years ago. Known for his strict tendency to frequently issue cards, caution is required.

Reporter Ha Seong-ryong has the story.

[Reporter]

Referee Tello from Argentina, who has been an international referee since 2019, became a global topic during the 2022 Argentine Cup final.

At the time, he sent off a staggering 11 people, including players involved in a mass brawl, a protesting manager, and a player who mocked his decision, while also issuing 12 yellow cards.

He also served as the referee for our third group stage match against Portugal at the Qatar World Cup that year, where we achieved a dramatic victory. During that match, he issued yellow cards to two of our players.

He gave a yellow card to Lee Kang-in for a tackle and to Hwang Hee-chan for taking off his jersey after scoring a goal.

Known for his strict style, averaging 4.7 yellow cards and 24 fouls per game, Referee Tello did not hesitate to blow his whistle and issue 5 yellow cards in the match between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina in this World Cup for rough tackles and fouls that stopped counterattacks.

This is more than double the average of 2.33 yellow cards per game seen in the 24 matches of the first round of this tournament.

Furthermore, Referee Tello drew attention for being the first to penalize a violation of the so-called "5-second throw-in rule," a new regulation in this tournament that awards possession to the opponent if a throw-in is not taken within 5 seconds.

Currently, three players on our national team—Lee Kang-in, Paik Seung-ho, and Lee Ki-hyuk—have each received one yellow card. Caution is necessary, as an additional yellow card in the match against South Africa would result in suspension for the Round of 32 match.

(Video Editing: Ha Seong-won, Design: Seo Seung-hyun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.